Hobo Stu

Hello everyone,

Here’s what’s new on HoboTrashcan.com this week:

Review – Revolutionary Road (Blu-ray)
When times get tough, we’ve all fantasized about escaping the tedium of everyday life to pursue our wildest dreams. Some dream of running away to join the circus or painting a masterpiece or backpacking through Europe. Revolutionary Road is the story of a couple in the 1950s who actually attempt to pursue those dreams. This week we review the film and it’s bonus features.

Murphy’s Law – The tragic death of David Carradine
When it was reported that David Carradine died of auto-erotic asphyxiation gone wrong, Carradine’s family was desperate to find any other explanation, including an outlandish theory that he was killed by underground ninjas. While Joel Murphy sympathizes with the family, this week he pleads with them to just let it go, since digging further into his death will probably only cause them more pain.

Note to Self – Tiger is back
While all of the other major sports are winding down, all of the big names in professional golf are preparing to return to the scene of one of the most exciting events of 2008, the U.S. Open. This week, Brian Murphy takes a look at the Open and Tiger’s chances of dominating it.

Outside of the In-Crowd – Heathers 2: The Quickening
In a recent interview, Winona Ryder mentioned that there is a sequel to Heathers in the works. Heathers is one of Courtney Enlow’s favorite films of all time, so this week she takes a look at the new film and attempts to figure out if Heathers 2 can “exist in a world without scrunchies.”

Positive Cynicism – The bullpen of stupid
As Aaron R. Davis explains at the beginning of this week’s column: “Some weeks, you have a big point you want to make. And some weeks, you just have a bunch of little points you want to annoy people with.” For Davis, this week is one of the latter.

From the Vault – One on One with Terence Winter
From writing to acting to directing, Terence Winter literally did it all on The Sopranos. He’s written numerous classic moments, like Paulie and Christopher getting stranded and eating ketchup packets in the woods, Vito getting caught blowing a construction worker and Christopher shocking the world by throwing Little Paulie out of a window. Think of your favorite moments over the show’s history, and chances are Winter wrote it.

Outside of David Chase, Terence Winter is probably more intimately familiar with The Sopranos universe than anyone on the planet. So, in 2007 when there was only one episode left of the hit show, we sat down with Winter to ask him about the inner workings of one of the best shows in TV history, his favorite moments both on and off camera and the fate of the Russian who got away. If you missed the interview then (or if you just find yourself missing The Sopranos now), here’s your chance to enjoy it once again.

- Hobo Stu

Hobo Stu’s Weekly Recap is also available as an email newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter to ensure you never miss an update, send an email to newsletter-subscribe@hobotrashcan.com.

Revolutionary Road (Blu-ray) Release Date: June 2, 2009 Own it on Blu-ray and DVD Director: Sam Mendes Writers: Justin Haythe (screenplay), Richard Yates (novel) Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates MPAA Rating: R HoboTrashcan’s Rating:

When times get tough, we’ve all fantasized about escaping the tedium of everyday life to pursue our wildest dreams. Some dream of running away to join the circus or painting a masterpiece or backpacking through Europe.

Whatever your dream may be, chances are you’ve put some serious thought into leaving your current life behind to achieve it. But then, reality sets in and most of us go back to our daily grind, chalking up those thoughts as nothing more than a pipe dream.

Set in the 1950s, Revolutionary Road is the story of an unhappy couple who contemplate leaving the world they know in search of happiness. Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) aren’t content with their suburban lifestyle, so April suggests they relocate to France, where April can make good money as a secretary while Frank stays home with the kids and figures out what he truly wants to do with his life. April believes Frank is destined for great things and knows he hates his current job, so she thinks this is the only way for him to tap in to his potential. Frank loves the idea and agrees that they should move forward with it.

However, as time goes on, life starts getting in the way of their plan. Frank’s sudden good fortunes at work and an unexpected complication in the Wheeler’s personal lives begin to put a damper on things. April is still determined to follow through with their plan, but Frank begins to have doubts.

It’s a simple story that is told in an incredibly plausible way. Frank and April Wheeler feel like real people and the film feels like a true story. We are flies on the wall; nosey neighbors peering in through their window to eavesdrop on their personal problems. While I’m not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, both he and Kate Winslet do amazing jobs in their roles. You truly get a sense that they were two people who once truly loved each other, but who are now struggling to remain happy.

This is the duo’s first film together since Titanic and in many ways it feels like a complete 180 from that film. While Titanic showed a very idealistic and oversimplified love story, Revolutionary Road is a story about real love and the struggles that average couples face. It shows what would happen if Jack and Rose both made it off the boat and spent a few years living together in suburbia.

The supporting cast is also very strong. Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan, is memorable and charming in her role as Maureen Grube, a secretary who catches Frank’s eye at work. Kathy Bates is great as Helen Givings, the real estate woman who sells the Wheelers their house on Revolutionary Road. She likes the Wheelers so much that she continually comes by to visit them and even brings her family over to have dinner at their house. Michael Shannon, who plays Helen’s mentally-unstable son John, steals every scene he is in. His performance is quite possibly the best in the entire film.

The film is brilliantly shot and the beautiful landscapes really shine on Blu-ray. The whole movie was shot on location, without the use of sound stages, which really adds a nice visual element to the film. The film also has a very realistic look to it – instead of the overly glossy and polished look you see in certain films, Revolutionary Road doesn’t shy away from showing you the gritty details of each location or the lines and imperfections in the actor’s faces, which is a nice and refreshing touch.

The DVD and Blu-ray release of the film include audio commentary, deleted scenes and two documentaries. The first documentary, entitled Lives of Quiet Desperation, is a 30-minute making-of featurette. It’s a pretty straightforward featurette, but it does reveal the passion that Kate Winslet had for this film (which she won a Golden Globe for). It’s also interesting to see how she got Leonardo DiCaprio and her husband Sam Mendes involved in the film.

The second documentary is a very well executed 30-minute biography of Richard Yates, who wrote the novel Revolutionary Road. Entitled Richard Yates: The Wages of Truth, it’s a very well balanced look at Yates’ life, which featured interviews with his family members and friends. While they all certainly speak very highly of Yates as a writer and as a man, they don’t shy away from touching on his anger, alcoholism and mental problems. It’s a fascinating look at an often overlooked great American author and it’s definitely worth watching.

Overall, Revolutionary Road is a dark film, but it touches on themes we can all relate to. I found myself really drawn into the story and really attached to the characters, even though it’s a very dark and somewhat pessimistic film. The movie itself is worth watching and the Yates documentary was a wonderful touch. I highly recommend purchasing Revolutionary Road.

Written by Joel Murphy. Revolutionary Road is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Similar Posts:

• Outside of the In-Crowd – Tis the Season
• Hobo Radio 141 – It’s French for “The Bruce”
• Hobo Radio 119 – It all sucks
• Review – J. Edgar
• Hobo Radio 148 – Chock full of nickels

• Introduction
• The past two shows
• It is what it is
• Tough guy actors
• Flo, the Progressive Insurance Saleswoman
• Consensually-obligated Batman discussion

Hobo Radio 88 - It is what it is [ 39:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Week 88 Spotlight: It is what it is

Part of being a supportive friend is finding words of comfort when someone you care about is dealing with problems in their life. We’ve all been there – someone we love pours their heart out to us, sharing a conflict in their life and suddenly we must try to make it all better.

These days, it seems like most Americans turn to the phrase: “It is what it is.” It’s a phrase that has been sweeping the nation; one that has become an instant cliche. It sounds deep and meaningful, but really is just a silly, meaningless phrase and Joel Murphy and Lars Periwinkle are tired of it. This week, they plead with you fine listeners to stop saying it.

What do they think you should say instead? Why do they have so much man-love for Bruce Willis? What causes them both to giggle like schoolchildren at the end of the show? The answers to these questions and more are in this week’s podcast.

Hobo Radio is the official podcast of HoboTrashcan, brought to you by The Podcast Network.